Photo by Melanie Reyes
Paul Against the Emperor
Father Richard Cassidy ’ s eighth book presents “ unsurpassed insight ” on St . Paul ’ s resistance to the slave culture of Nero ’ s Rome
Interview by Daniel Gallio
It was a tough decision for Rick Cassidy as he began graduate studies at the University of Michigan in the mid-1960s . Would he take the course on Imperial Rome , because of his love of history , or the course History of Slavery , because of his deep concern for social justice ?
The Dearborn native chose the course on slavery . The insights he acquired have helped to guide Father Cassidy ’ s scholarly work for three decades , including his latest work , A Roman Commentary on St . Paul ’ s Letter to the Philippians ( Herder & Herder , 2020 ).
Paul ’ s letter , composed in chains and secreted out of his Roman jail cell , is intentionally “ counter-slavery ” argues
Father Cassidy , Professor of Sacred Scripture at Sacred Heart since 2004 , as well as “ counter-emperor .” At its core , Philippians is an underground epistle that subverts the Roman power structure and the “ lordship pretensions of Nero .” Reviewers praise the “ distinctive thesis ” of Father Cassidy ’ s groundbreaking work as “ fresh and illuminating ,” making for “ fascinating reading .”
A Roman Commentary is Father Cassidy ’ s seventh book that examines the influence of Roman rule on the writers of the New Testament , and his eighth book overall . He returned to Ann Arbor on a rainy afternoon in late June to discuss his newest work .
DG : St . Paul ’ s Letter to the Philippians is most known for its soaring declaration of the divinity Christ , before whom one day “ every knee must bend ,” and “ every tongue proclaim ” his universal lordship ( 2:6-11 ).
Your new book presents a unique argument : Paul ’ s letter is primarily a “ subversive ” document of resistance against the Roman Empire — particularly against emperor worship and slavery . How did you arrive at this against-the-grain interpretation ?
RC : These insights were the result of long hours with the text , spending a lot of prayer time for guidance , as to Paul ’ s situation .
The issue of slavery came into play strongly . I now saw that Jesus was executed
26 Sacred Heart Major Seminary | Mosaic | Spring / Summer 2022